🌍 Part of our Humanitarian & NGO Industry Training Series — browse all related courses →
About This Course
Access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and sound hygiene practices is a fundamental humanitarian imperative. In disaster, conflict, and displacement contexts, the collapse of WASH infrastructure is among the deadliest consequences of crisis — driving waterborne disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and preventable mortality. Humanitarian responders who can rapidly assess needs, design appropriate systems, and coordinate WASH services across multi-agency platforms are therefore indispensable assets in any emergency response architecture.
The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Humanitarian Settings course has been developed by TrainingComplex to address a persistent skills gap across NGOs, UN agencies, government emergency departments, and civil society organisations. Drawing on global standards including Sphere, UNHCR Emergency Handbook, and WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality, the programme moves participants from foundational principles to applied field competence within five intensive days.
Participants will engage with realistic scenarios modelled on camp, host community, and urban displacement settings. They will apply engineering calculations, community engagement techniques, supply chain considerations, and monitoring frameworks to problems that mirror the complexity of actual humanitarian operations. By the end of the course, delegates will be equipped not only to deliver WASH services but to lead coordination, advocate for resources, and adapt technical solutions to constrained and volatile environments.
Who Should Attend
- WASH Engineers and Technicians working in humanitarian or development organisations
- Humanitarian Programme Officers and Field Coordinators managing emergency response
- Public Health Officers and Epidemiologists deployed in crisis settings
- Government Emergency Management Officials responsible for water and sanitation services
- NGO and INGO Project Managers overseeing multi-sector relief operations
- UN Agency and Cluster Coordination staff involved in WASH sector planning
- Development Practitioners transitioning into humanitarian response roles
- Sanitation and Environmental Health Specialists seeking context-specific field skills
Learning Objectives
- Explain the global WASH crisis and the specific vulnerabilities created by humanitarian emergencies
- Apply Sphere Standards, UNHCR guidelines, and WHO benchmarks to assess and design WASH interventions
- Conduct rapid WASH needs assessments using structured tools in camp, urban, and host community settings
- Design and specify appropriate emergency water supply systems including trucking, treatment, and distribution
- Select and implement emergency sanitation solutions including latrines, faecal sludge management, and solid waste handling
- Develop and implement community-centred hygiene promotion strategies using participatory methods
- Integrate gender, protection, disability inclusion, and age sensitivity into WASH programme design
- Manage WASH supply chains and procure equipment and consumables under emergency procurement frameworks
- Design and implement WASH monitoring systems and report against cluster indicators
- Coordinate effectively within the WASH Cluster and inter-sector humanitarian coordination mechanisms
Course Modules
Module 1: The Global WASH Crisis and Humanitarian Contexts
- Scale and distribution of the global WASH deficit and its relationship to humanitarian crises
- Types of humanitarian emergencies and their distinct WASH implications: natural disasters, conflict, and protracted displacement
- Key mortality and morbidity drivers linked to inadequate WASH: cholera, typhoid, diarrhoeal disease, and trachoma
- The humanitarian system architecture: clusters, lead agencies, coordination bodies, and funding mechanisms
- Legal and ethical frameworks governing WASH as a human right in humanitarian settings
- Overview of global WASH standards: Sphere Handbook, UNHCR Emergency Handbook, and WHO guidelines
Module 2: Rapid WASH Needs Assessment
- Principles of rapid assessment: timing, data sources, triangulation, and decision-relevance
- Assessment tools and frameworks: WASH Rapid Assessment, KAP surveys, and secondary data review
- Quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques for water, sanitation, and hygiene in the field
- Mapping existing WASH infrastructure: functionality assessments and gap analysis
- Vulnerability profiling: identifying groups at heightened risk including women, children, elderly, and persons with disabilities
- Documenting and reporting assessment findings for cluster coordination and donor communication
Module 3: Emergency Water Supply: Sources and Treatment
- Classification of water sources: surface water, groundwater, rainwater, and trucked water
- Water quality parameters and WHO drinking-water quality guidelines for humanitarian settings
- Treatment technologies: chlorination, coagulation-flocculation, filtration, and solar disinfection (SODIS)
- Chlorination dosing calculations: free residual chlorine targets and turbidity considerations
- Water trucking operations: vehicle selection, delivery scheduling, and quality control protocols
- Point-of-use water treatment: household options, promotion strategies, and monitoring compliance
Module 4: Emergency Water Distribution Systems
- Sphere minimum standards for water quantity and distribution point proximity in camp and urban settings
- Design of gravity-fed and pumped distribution networks for displaced population contexts
- Storage solutions: bladder tanks, elevated tanks, and communal storage logistics
- Water kiosk and tapstand design: coverage ratios, queue management, and protection considerations
- Operation and maintenance of distribution systems in resource-constrained environments
- Handling distribution disruptions: contingency planning for pump failure, contamination events, and access constraints
Module 5: Emergency Sanitation: Excreta Management
- Sphere standards for latrine coverage, usability, and separation from water sources
- Latrine technology selection matrix: pit latrines, trench latrines, VIPs, container-based sanitation, and portable units
- Site selection and engineering considerations: soil type, water table depth, drainage, and population density
- Design and construction supervision of emergency latrines in camp and urban settings
- Faecal sludge management: collection, transport, treatment, and safe disposal in humanitarian contexts
- Inclusive sanitation design: accommodating women, children, elderly users, and people with physical disabilities
Module 6: Solid Waste and Wastewater Management
- Health risks of solid waste accumulation in displacement settings and linkages to vector-borne disease
- Waste characterisation in humanitarian contexts: household waste, medical waste, and hazardous materials
- Primary, secondary, and tertiary collection systems: communal bins, skip trucks, and disposal sites
- Wastewater and drainage management: surface water drainage, greywater disposal, and flooding risk
- Engagement of affected communities in solid waste management through community-based volunteers
- Coordination with national authorities and municipal services for sustainable waste management transition
Module 7: Hygiene Promotion and Behaviour Change
- Theories of behaviour change applicable to WASH: FOAM, RANAS model, and social norms theory
- Participatory community engagement tools: focus group discussions, transect walks, and seasonal calendars
- Designing hygiene promotion campaigns: message development, channel selection, and culturally appropriate materials
- Key hygiene behaviours prioritised in humanitarian settings: handwashing, water handling, menstrual hygiene, and food hygiene
- Capacity building of community hygiene promoters: recruitment, training, supervision, and incentive structures
- Monitoring hygiene promotion outcomes: observation checklists, knowledge assessments, and behaviour change indicators
Module 8: Gender, Protection, and Inclusion in WASH
- Gender-differentiated WASH needs: women's safety, menstrual hygiene management, and privacy considerations
- Protection mainstreaming in WASH: safe access, lighting, locks, and community feedback mechanisms
- Child-friendly WASH design: school sanitation standards, handwashing station heights, and child engagement
- Disability inclusion in WASH programming: universal design principles and assistive adaptations
- GBV risk mitigation through WASH design and community engagement strategies
- Age and cultural sensitivity: adapting WASH interventions for elderly populations and diverse community norms
Module 9: WASH Supply Chain and Procurement in Emergencies
- WASH supply chain structure in humanitarian operations: pre-positioning, pipeline management, and last-mile delivery
- Critical WASH commodities: NFI kits, water treatment chemicals, latrine slabs, pumps, and pipes
- Emergency procurement frameworks: waiver of competitive bidding, supplier pre-qualification, and framework agreements
- Quality assurance for WASH supplies: specification writing, inspection on arrival, and rejection protocols
- Inventory management and warehouse organisation for WASH stocks in the field
- Coordination with logistics clusters and common pipeline mechanisms for supply optimisation
Module 10: WASH Monitoring, Evaluation, and Coordination
- WASH cluster indicator framework: coverage, access, quality, and use indicators aligned with Sphere and IASC
- Designing WASH monitoring plans: indicator selection, data collection frequency, tools, and responsible parties
- Data management and reporting: dashboards, situation reports, and 5W matrix (Who does What, Where, When, for Whom)
- Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP): community feedback mechanisms, complaint response systems, and participation
- Inter-agency WASH cluster coordination: roles, responsibilities, information sharing, and gap-filling strategies
- Transition and exit strategies: handover to national authorities, sustainability planning, and capacity building for recovery
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least one year of experience working in humanitarian, development, or public health contexts. A basic familiarity with project cycle management and community engagement is recommended. No prior specialised WASH engineering qualification is required, though participants with engineering or environmental health backgrounds will find the technical modules particularly applicable to their existing work.
Training Methodology
- Rapid needs assessment simulations using structured WASH survey tools applied to fictional but realistic displacement scenarios
- Case study analysis drawn from documented humanitarian responses including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, South Sudan refugee operations, and the Rohingya crisis in Cox's Bazar
- Engineering calculation exercises where participants size water storage, distribution networks, and latrine coverage against Sphere minimum standards
- Small-group cluster coordination role-play exercises replicating inter-agency WASH coordination meetings and response planning sessions
- Hygiene promotion campaign design workshops where participants develop community-appropriate messaging and select behaviour change tools
- Field tool familiarisation sessions covering water quality testing kits, chlorination dosing, and sanitation monitoring checklists
- Cross-cutting integration exercises embedding gender, protection, and disability inclusion into technical design decisions
- Peer review and critique sessions where participant assessment reports and designs are evaluated against real-world benchmarks
- Guest practitioner inputs from field-experienced WASH professionals sharing lessons learned from recent emergency responses
- Post-session reflection journals linking daily learning to participants' own organisational contexts and upcoming field deployments
Organisational Benefits
- Improved quality and speed of WASH response during emergencies, reducing disease burden among affected populations
- Staff equipped with internationally recognised technical standards reducing the risk of non-compliant or ineffective interventions
- Stronger inter-agency coordination capacity, improving programme coherence and avoiding duplication of effort
- Enhanced ability to design proposals and attract donor funding through evidence-based WASH programming
- Organisational reputation strengthened through demonstrated adherence to Sphere and global humanitarian standards
- Reduced procurement and supply chain errors through staff trained in emergency WASH logistics
- Improved monitoring and reporting quality, supporting accountability to affected populations and donors
- Greater staff confidence and retention through structured professional development in a high-demand technical field
Where Is Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Humanitarian Settings Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Nairobi, Johannesburg, Kampala, Nakuru, Abuja, Naivasha, Kisumu, Arusha, Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Accra, Dar es Salaam, Dubai, Zanzibar, Cape Town, Mombasa, Kigali, Riyadh, Lagos, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Johannesburg, South Africa |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,500 |
| Kampala, Uganda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
24 Oct 2026 – 15 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,300 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
26 Oct 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
+232 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a formal engineering qualification to attend this course?
No formal engineering qualification is required. The course is designed for a multi-disciplinary audience including programme managers, public health officers, and coordinators. Technical modules are delivered at a practical level with step-by-step guidance, making them accessible to participants without an engineering background.
Will I receive a certificate upon completing the course?
Yes. Participants who attend the full five-day programme and complete the daily practical exercises will receive a Certificate of Completion from TrainingComplex. The certificate references the Sphere, UNHCR, and WHO frameworks covered, which can be cited in professional profiles and donor-facing CVs.
Is this course relevant for both emergency and development WASH contexts?
The course focuses primarily on humanitarian and emergency settings, but many of the tools, standards, and coordination mechanisms covered are directly applicable to resilience and development programming. Practitioners working in fragile or climate-vulnerable contexts will find the content highly transferable.
How much of the course is practical versus theoretical?
Approximately 60% of the course time is devoted to applied exercises, simulations, and case study work. Participants spend significant time on assessment simulations, engineering calculation exercises, and cluster coordination role-plays rather than passive instruction, ensuring skills are immediately actionable.
Can organisations send multiple staff members to the same cohort?
Yes, and organisational teams are actively encouraged to attend together. Shared learning strengthens internal coordination and allows participants to apply course frameworks to their specific organisational context through team-based exercises. Group booking discounts are available — please contact TrainingComplex directly for details.
